So I've seen a lot of articles about how old your children should be before you bring a puppy into the house but, what about the other way around? My husband and I recently brought home a 9 week old lab puppy and also hope to have children in the near future. Luckily the puppy will be at least 11 months old by the time baby comes if we were to get pregnant today and therefore out of the "teenage" phase, but is there any opinion around here as to what age our dog should be when we bring a baby home?
I can't advise (as I tend to believe that any human under the age of 18 is the devil incarnate), but @Emily recently had a baby with a young dog, so could give you her experience.
My experience is limited to doggy sitting my in-laws lab when my youngest was born. She was probably at least 11yo then. She always enjoyed her trips to us, but crying babies actually really upset her, so we had to stop looking after for holidays then. So in some ways, maybe earlier is better. Bear in mind....not every pregnancy is straightforward and you might feel moderately cr*p even in a normal pregnancy. Some dogs grow up quicker than others! Basically I am waffling and have no idea! I suppose the biggest thing is having back up if you need it, whatever age it happens. x
I think it was me I would make sure you dog was trained and reliable before I had kids. It's the same criteria for me for bring a new pup into the house. The first dog will have had a lot of the time it needs and feel secure. Both need time so you want to make neither is short changed. Personally though I prefer puppies to babies. If you think pups are hard work human pups will blow your minds. They behave like pups for about 18 years! Good luck with everything
I think most people just don't have the time with a very small baby for the dog the way they did before, so it would be very tough with a lab under 2 with lots of exercise and training requirements. However, the fact that you are on this forum and worrying about it makes you one of the small minority of people who will take care to make sure your dog has all it needs to be happy and healthy, even with a small baby!
We didn't exactly plan our timing (oops ) but we ended up having a puppy that was a week older than I was pregnant. That meant she was 9months old when our baby was born. It was a little challenging dealing with a puppy and a new born but I'd imagine there would be challenges at any age. For Ella (our puppy), we were still doing new things every week so introducing a baby was just another thing on the list. I'm not sure how this would change if you had an older dog that was more set in their ways. I think what I'm trying to say is there is no perfect time. Have a baby when you're ready and you'll figure out the rest of it when the time comes
Our son was 6 years old before we got a dog, but his brothers were 4 years and 2 years. It was hard work, but they were not babies. A small baby is lots of work and you are very tired. A puppy is hard work too. Don't forget you want to enjoy baby and puppy. I would wait until the dog was 2 years old before I had a baby, but that is just me . You must make your own mind up about it. I am sure you will work it out what is right for you. Only you know what you can do. Good luck
My children are 5 and 3 and this is manageable with our 16 week old pup as one is at school and one at preschool for 4 mornings. But I most definitely wouldn't want a young puppy and a baby together. Babies are a lot more hard work and take up lots of time and you often don't have any hands free. Saying that though, our pup doesn't even flinch or worry about the children's whinging etc so has got used to all of that quickly! So it would be a good idea to get your puppy used to other children first if you can
Yes, good idea to get your pup used to children and babies - and to having much less of your attention, with the best will in the world he'll get much less when the baby arrives. My dog (Boogie) was nine when my first baby arrived. He loved them both and lived to a happy 19 years old. My niece had a six month old Springer when her twins arrived all are fine now but she had some stressful days along the way! Maybe employ a dog walker for a few weeks until you get settled into a routine?
We don't have children but my baby niece has stayed with us from time to time. Homer was 3 years old when she was born, so over the teenage years, happy to walk alongside the pram and good off lead on our usual walks. He's also calmer around the house and will lie down next to her and have her crawl up to him. As soon as she was able to sit independently he encouraged her to play ball with him. And now she's up on her feet she'll deliberately walk behind him so that his tail flicks her face. Only problem is that he loves destroying soft toys, we had to save the ducky slippers a few times on her last visit.
Lol I have eight children...youngest 3 years. We have a 12 week old lab puppy and although he's a very good boy (extremely lucky) he was hard work for the first week or two.....even harder than a baby in my opinion! We decided not to use paper or pads for house training and we literally had to watch him every minute of the day and take him outside when he looked like he needed a wee! It was so tiring and demanding....but it paid off as he is now completely house trained at 12 weeks!
